About

Vinegraal, get your own exclusive taste of Modena

€36,268

pledged of €25,000 goal

263

backers

Hi Kickstarters!
We are so happy about having been successfully funded. Many thanks to all of you for having contributed! But it’s not over. We have a lot left to offer, so keep on supporting us. Please, read and share! Thanks.

Great News!

On the occasion of the XXI Triennale di Milano International Exposition, Fabbrica del Vapore houses the exhibition NEW CRAFT (curated by Stefano Micelli) and the very first prototype of Vinegraal has been selected for the Kitchen Tools Section. So proud of it!

[scorri verso il basso per leggere il testo in italiano]

Who we are and what is Vinegraal

We are the “Consorteria dell’Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena”, an association of volunteers and since 1966 we work to safeguard the real traditional balsamic vinegar, in order to preserve its quality and raise awareness of an ancient tradition that cannot be lost.

Do you know what the Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is? This is the best occasion to discover it! The real Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale is produced since ages in the countryside of the province of Modena in the North of Italy. It is made starting from a reduction of cooked white grape juice (Trebbiano), that needs to be aged several years, from 12 up to centuries. The aging process is a serious undertaking that requires meticulous care. As the syrup thickens and evaporates, it is moved into successively smaller barrels made of different woods that contribute to the complex and delicious flavors of balsamic vinegar.

It has a syrupy consistency, a complex and pleasantly penetrating bouquet, coupled with a well-balanced sweet and sour taste, rounded with a velvety finish. It may be used to flavour vegetables, meat, cheeses and even desserts. Alone it makes every dish unique, and for this reason it has become a must-have ingredient for gourmets all around the world.

Why on Kickstarter

We’d love to celebrate with all of you our first 50th anniversary of activity , that’s why we decided to share our best balsamic vinegar, our VINEGRAAL, the “holy grail” of balsamic vinegars stored in our casks, aged patiently with great respect for our tradition, for more than 25 years, with PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) certification!

We realized we needed a very special commemorative packaging and something more, something unique as our “Vinegraal”. That’s why we asked Slow/d to help us (Slow/d is a young StartUp that won the Honourable Mention for Service Design at the 23rd edition of the Premio Compasso d'Oro ADI, they knew what to do!). They worked with a selected group of young designers who came to work on our premises, in close contact with us and our product, our tradition and materials. Thanks to a rapid prototyping system which exploits 3D ceramic printing technology, they set about designing something that have to be innovative and closely linked to our tradition at the same time. This was the challenge, and they did it!

The Vinegraal celebrative Kit

Here’s the official “VINEGRAAL CELEBRATIVE KIT” issued in a
limited edition of only 500 pieces, numbered for collection purposes.
It’s composed by our “Vinegraal”, bottled in the official glass bottle (a guarantee in itself of the genuineness of the product), accompanied by an innovative pigmented porcelain 3D printed bottle (you could use as an extra container) and the poetic accessory especially designed for this balsamic, the cork drizzler stopper / stylus. We are very proud about this result!

The product has been designed by Ludovica Canzutti: her project is a formal and poetical reworking of the ancient tragno (a terracotta “bottle” which in olden times served as a container for balsamic vinegar), of which the cork stopper is in actual fact a calligraphy stylus with which to add your own signature to the dishes you create, just like a starred chef.

Our "vinegraal", more than 25 years aged.

The porcelain pigmented 3D printed bottle.

The drizzler / stopper / stylus.

Here a short video on how the 3D printed bottle will be realized thanks to your support. All these 500 bottles will be printed by our friend at WASP Project and finished by hand by a local artisan, one by one.

See in this video “how to use” the drizzler stylus, as you can see it’s very easy to use. Free your creativity!

The special drizzler stylus

Interested only in the drizzler stylus ? Check for it into the perks, support the Consorteria, starting with only 25€ and you’ll receive an extra specially designed drizzler stylus with a very comfortable and ergonomic handle. This unlimited special edition of the drizzler/stylus is here for you. Add your signature to all your culinary masterpieces with your own balsamic vinegar, like a starred chef!

The Vinegraal Alphabet

Starting from today, we are going to create daily a single letter of the Alphabet using this great drizzler stylus. Follow the complete story on twitter & instagram: @vinegraal.

01. Pledge €5: "THANKS"

Your name and surname will be included in the booklet which everyone will find inside their own confection of Vinegraal. Thank you.

Unlimited amount - No shipping involved

02. Pledge €25: "DRIZZLER/STYLUS"

You will receive our unlimited special edition of the drizzler / stylus with which you can add your signature to all your culinary masterpieces with your own balsamic vinegar. This new drizzler has an ergonomic handle for a very comfortable use.

03. Pledge €300: VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT/early bird

You will be among the first to receive the Celebration Kit with a discount, comprising of a 100ml bottle of real Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Extravecchio of the Consorteria (aged for over 25 years). This “Vinegraal” will be held and sealed in the official glass ampoule and inside the packaging you will find the celebratory bottle produced in burnished ceramic materia (procelain) using 3D printing techniques, complete with a stopper/stylus featuring a truly unique design with which to add your signature to all your culinary masterpieces.

04. Pledge €400: VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT

You will receive our Celebration Kit, comprising of a 100ml bottle of real Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Extravecchio of the Consorteria (aged for over 25 years). This “Vinegraal”will be held and sealed in the official glass ampoule, and inside the packaging you will find the celebratory bottle produced in burnished ceramic (porcelain) material using 3D printing techniques, complete with a stopper/stylus featuring a truly unique design with which to add your signature to all your culinary masterpieces.

You will receive exemplar No. 001 of the limited edition of 500 pieces of the Vinegraal Celebration Kit. A unique opportunity for keen collectors to come into possession of an item of absolute historical value as well as of certified quality. You will also be sent the cookery book featuring the personal recipes of the Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura (“The age-old tradition of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena”).

You will receive exemplar No. 500 of the limited edition of 500 pieces of the Vinegraal Celebration Kit. A unique opportunity for keen collectors to come into possession of an item of absolute historical value as well as of certified quality. You will also be sent the cookery book featuring the personal recipes of the Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura (“The age-old tradition of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena”).

As well as receiving our Vinegraal Celebration Kit (ABTM Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria aged over 25 years + celebratory porcelain bottle and stopper/calligraphy stylus), the cookery book by chef M. Bottura, you will have the chance to take part in a creative cookery workshop held by the Visual Food Designer Rita Loccisano of VisualFood. The workshop will be held in the heart of the charming city of Modena (on a date to be agreed). At the end of the workshop, there will be a tasting of recipes featuring Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

As well as receiving our Vinegraal Celebration Kit (ABTM Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria aged over 25 years + celebratory porcelain bottle and stopper/calligraphy stylus), the cookery book by chef M. Bottura, you will have the chance to spend a weekend (one night for two people) in the very homeland of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. The Hotel “La Cartiera” in Vignola will take care of you, from your accommodation in a double (or twin) room, to the dinner with a menu reflecting typical Modenese cuisine (drinks excluded) up to the organisation of visits to various museums including the Museum of the Consorteria Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale (in the town of Spilamberto), the MUSA (the Salami Museum), and the tasting of genuine Parmigiano Reggiano Parmesan cheese in a local dairy.

As well as receiving our Vinegraal Celebration Kit (ABTM Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria aged over 25 years + celebratory porcelain bottle and stopper/calligraphy stylus), the cookery book by chef M. Bottura, you will also have the chance to spend a whole weekend (two nights for two people) in the homeland of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, during the famous Palio di San Giovanni which takes place every year at the Rocca of Spilamberto. During the Palio, the very best balsamic vinegars from families throughout the territory are awarded, and on the occasion of this celebration, straight from the hands of the Grand Maestro, you will receive your precious Vinegraal Celebration Kit. The Hotel “La Cartiera” in Vignola will take care of you, from your accommodation in a double (or twin) room, to the dinner with a menu reflecting typical Modenese cuisine (drinks excluded) up to the organisation of visits to various museums including the Museum of the Consorteria Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale (in the town of Spilamberto), the MUSA (the Salami Museum), and the tasting of genuine Parmigiano Reggiano Parmesan cheese in a local dairy. During your stay, you will also be able to follow a cookery lesson on the theme of ‘Emilian pasta-making’ (tagliatelle and tortellini) as well as tasting the dishes prepared during the course.

As well as receiving our Vinegraal Celebration Kit (ABTM Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria aged over 25 years + celebratory porcelain bottle and stopper/calligraphy stylus), the cookery book by chef M. Bottura, you will have the chance to spend a whole weekend (two nights for two people) in the beautiful city of Modena, hosted in a double (or twin) room in an elegant hotel in the Old Town. The “Ovunque” travel agency will take care of your stay, complete with a dinner in a traditional restaurant in the heart of Modena, organising a complete tour of the city for you (lasting around four hours in total), visits to the best museums throughout the territory: the Museum of the Consorteria Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, the Casa Museo Ferrari and a visit with tasting to the Hombre dairy where real organic Parmigiano Reggiano Parmesan cheese is produced. The icing on the cake of this fantastic Modenese weekend will be a world-class lunch with a mouth-watering menu prepared by the Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura (3 Michelin stars) in his well-known Osteria Francescana in the very heart of the Old Town of Modena.

Risks and challenges

The challenge of this project lies in taking Traditional Balsamic Vinegar beyond the geographical and imaginary borders that its history has assigned to it, and bringing an exclusive product to the tables of die-hard foodies throughout the world. This is our mission, as guardians of this tradition. We have the duty to hand down to the younger generation and to all those who love culinary excellence the uniqueness and quality of our product. There are many cheap imitations that we have to fight against day after day, not to mention the outright counterfeits, but if we are still here today, it’s also to show that “united we stand” and that together we represent this unique product.

The funds that we manage to put together will be used to:
- Recompense the group of designers who contributed to the creation of the new container;
- Cover the costs of production both of the container (using 3D ceramic printing) and its packaging;
- Offer the various rewards;
- Organise the logistics and management system of the shipping of Vinegraal to every corner of the globe;
- Offer reimbursement to the many members of the association who have helped to make this project possible, donating (once more) their own free time.

We are aware of the numerous difficulties that await us:
- It’s not easy to effectively communicate the quality of our Traditional Balsamic Vinegar without being able to taste it, especially compared to the vast array of products thought to be similar in circulation, yet which in actual fact have nothing to do with us.
- Producing a special container like the one we have created thanks to our designer friends, in which creativity merges with the practical need to preserve the vinegar, entails technical difficulties which we have by no means undervalued.
- The management of the shipping on a global scale of a food product is anything but straightforward, but we can do it! And if any of you want one, we can assure that you will receive your own “Vinegraal” in the best possible way!
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La sfida di questo progetto è far uscire l’Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale dai confini, geografici e immaginari, che la sua storia gli ha conferito, portando agli appassionati “foodie” di tutto il mondo un prodotto irripetibile. Questa missione spetta a noi, custodi della tradizione. Abbiamo il dovere di trasmettere ai più giovani e a tutti coloro che amano l’eccellenza in cucina l’unicità e la qualità di questo nostro prodotto. Sono tante le imitazioni con cui dobbiamo lottare giornalmente, per non parlare delle contraffazioni, ma se siamo qui oggi è per dare il segnale forte che “ci siamo” e questo prodotto unico siamo noi.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €300 or more
About $341

VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT EARLY BIRD
The Celebration Kit, made up of a 100ml ampoule of real Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria (aged for over 25 years) accompanied by a ceramic container (printed in 3D) together with its stopper/stylus.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €400 or more
About $455

VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT
The Celebration Kit, made up of a 100ml ampoule of real Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria (aged for more than 25 years) accompanied by a ceramic container (printed in 3D) together with its stopper/stylus.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €550 or more
About $625

VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT PACKAGE No. 001/500 AND MASSIMO BOTTURA RECIPE BOOK
Exemplar No. 001 of the limited edition of 500 pieces of the Vinegraal Celebration Kit. What’s more, you will receive a cookery book with the recipes of the Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura (English language version).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €550 or more
About $625

VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT PACKAGE No. 500/500 AND MASSIMO BOTTURA RECIPE BOOK
Exemplar No. 500 of the limited edition of 500 pieces of the Vinegraal Celebration Kit. What’s more, you will receive a cookery book with the recipes of the Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura (English language version).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €700 or more
About $795

VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT + M.BOTTURA RECIPE BOOK + CREATIVE COOKERY WORKSHOP IN MODENA (ITALY)
Vinegraal Celebration Kit (ABTM Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria aged over 25 years + celebratory container in ceramic and stopper/calligraphy stylus), M.Bottura book and the chance to take part in a creative cookery workshop held by the Visual Food Designer Rita Loccisano of VisualFood. (https://www.youtube.com/user/VisualFoodChannel).

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €900 or more
About $1,023

VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT + M.BOTTURA RECIPE BOOK + WEEKEND IN THE BALSAMIC HOMELAND
Vinegraal Celebration Kit (ABTM Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria aged over 25 years + celebratory container in ceramic and stopper/calligraphy stylus), M.Bottura book and the chance to see and experience the homeland of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €1,200 or more
About $1,364

VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT + M.BOTTURA RECIPE BOOK + WEEKEND DURING THE FAMOUS PALIO DI S.GIOVANNI
Vinegraal Celebration Kit (ABTM Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria aged over 25 years + celebratory container in ceramic and stopper/calligraphy stylus), M.Bottura book and the chance to spend a weekend for two people in the homeland of Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena during the famous Palio di San Giovanni which takes place every year at the Rocca of Spilamberto.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge €3,000 or more
About $3,409

VINEGRAAL CELEBRATION KIT + M.BOTTURA RECIPE BOOK + WEEK END WITH A SPECIAL LUNCH AT OSTERIA FRANCESCANA, MASSIMO BOTTURA'S RESTAURANT
Vinegraal Celebration Kit (ABTM Extravecchio PDO of the Consorteria aged over 25 years + celebratory container in burnished ceramic and stopper/calligraphy stylus) M.Bottura book and the chance to experience a weekend for two people in the charming town of Modena, with a world-class lunch at the famous Osteria Francescana prepared by the Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura (3 Michelin stars).